Thankful Thursday: Peace & Playfulness

Today, one of my children had an appointment in town so we were up there for about 4 hours. After the appointment, we got a bite to eat and then drove back home. When I say town, I mean the bigger town that we go to quite a bit that is 60 miles away. It’s quite a hike. With summer here now, the road crews are out in full force. At least half way to town is under road construction and has two different stops (one lane traffic). These stops, I swear, take 10-15 minutes of waiting, if not longer. The ride home was quite. I only had my girls who were sleeping in their car seats. So, it was me, the radio, and miles of blacktop.

I couldn’t help but think on the ride, how thankful I was for the peace and quiet. Time in which I could just focus on my driving and nothing else. It’s amazing how much one can notice of his/her surroundings when your mind is at ease and peacefulness envelopes you. As I drove, I noticed as we got closer to home, storm clouds were darkening the area. It sprinkled here and there. It didn’t downpour or anything, but it was enough to need the wipers.

I love a good storm and where I live, we don’t get the storms like down south where I’m from. And I miss them.

When we arrived home, I got the kids in the house and settled down. They are always extra rowdy after the long drive….bundles of energy stored for the moment they jump out of the vehicle. For about half an hour, I just kept repeating:

close the door.

stay off the road.

quit running in and out.

close the darn door!

Finally, I got them inside with a snack and settled for a short movie, which the two youngest watched for only about 5 minutes and they were off again to find the next burst of trouble they could get into.

My time of peace had been replaced with energy….lots and lots and lots of energy. I totally wish I could bottle that energy and save it for myself 🙂

And then I looked out my window to notice my kids’ bike in the neighbors yard. I opened the door to go outside and it was pouring. Hard, heavy rain. I giggled to myself because I still had to get that darn bike.

Then, suddenly, I just felt a giddy kind of peacefulness all over again.

I called to the girls to come outside because we were going to play in the rain. When only the two youngest came outside, they didn’t want to step outside but they laughed when they seen me dancing goofily in the rain. Finally, I was able to draw them both out for a short moment or two…very short-lived.

I stood out there in that rain, letting it drench my clothes, and danced like an idiot.

But, you know what?

I didn’t care. Not one little bit did I care about how silly I must have looked because I felt such joy and it made my children laugh with happiness and silliness.

And what more to be thankful for than the giggles of two beautiful little girls. It’s these moments in life that remind me of the great Love of God and how thankful I am for that love.